LIVE BLOG: Follow Wednesday's Game Between No. 5 Purdue, Northwestern in Real Time; News and Analysis
EVANSTON, Ill. — No. 5 Purdue basketball is back on the road for a matchup with Northwestern at the Welsh-Ryan Arena. A win would give the Boilermakers the top spot in the Big Ten after Illinois fell to Rutgers.
A victory Wednesday night would be a huge stepping stone in the regular season's final push. The Wildcats have won three of their last four games.
- HOW TO WATCH: If you are interested in how to watch from home, simply CLICK HERE for television information, points spread and nuggets on the game.
A win would give Purdue a 23-4 record, matching Purdue's best 27-game start since the 1987-88 season, which has been done five other times since.
Here's how our LIVE BLOG works. We'll keep you updated on everything that goes on in the game in real time, keeping you up to date on rotations, scoring plays and trends. Highlights will be included as they become available.
Let's get started, the most recent plays will be at the top.
11:21 p.m. ET, FINAL — Purdue takes down Northwestern 70-64 to take sole possession of the Big Ten lead. The team is now 23-4 on the year and 12-4 in the conference.
11:03 p.m. ET — Trevion Williams throws down a monster put-back dunk, but he's called for a foul.
10:57 p.m. ET, UNDER 4 — Purdue in control, leading Northwestern 64-50 with 3:54 left to play in the game. The Wildcats haven't scored in more than two minutes.
10:55 p.m. ET — Zach Edey enters the game and continues to battle for Purdue. It's been a quiet half for the 7-foot-4 center, but a basket ensures that he keeps a team-high scoring total with 14.
10:43 p.m. ET — Northwestern calls a timeout as Purdue takes a 57-45 lead. Mason Gillis is 3-3 from the 3-point line. He's up to 11 points for the Boilermakers.
10:39 p.m. ET — Robbie Beran appears to have suffered a hand injury and heads to the locker room for Northwestern. Purdue leads 52-42 after an Ethan Morton 3-pointer.
10:33 p.m. ET, UNDER 12 — Purdue ahead of Northwestern 49-40 with 11:38 to play.
10:32 p.m. ET — Sasha Stefanovic now 0-2 from the 3-point line with just four points on the night. A transition shot from beyond the arc could have blown the game open for Purdue.
10:25 p.m. ET, UNDER 16 — Purdue leads 44-35 with 14:34 left to play in the game. The Boilermakers have four turnovers in the last 2:39, bringing their game total to 12. But the team is 4-8 from the field and 2-3 from the 3-point line coming out of the break.
10:20 p.m. ET — Jaden Ivey hits his first shot from the field and also draws contact from Chase Audige, giving him four fouls. Ivey drains the free-throw for a three-point play. He now has six points for Purdue.
10:19 p.m. ET — Mason Gillis drills a 3-pointer from the right corner, giving Purdue its largest lead of the night at eight points.
10:17 p.m. ET — Chase Audige now has three fouls without a basket here at the start of the second half. Jaden Ivey, who has yet to make a shot from the field, makes one of two free throws.
9:58 p.m. ET, HALFTIME — Purdue takes a 32-28 lead into the break. Zach Edey has 12 points and six rebounds. A sloppy game for both teams, as the Boilers and Wildcats have combined for 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
9:55 p.m. ET — Northwestern calls a timeout after missing its last five shots. It's a 6-0 run for Purdue, and the Wildcats haven't scored in nearly four minutes.
9:48 p.m. ET, UNDER 4 — Purdue leads 28-25 against Northwestern with 3:37 left to play in the first half. Jaden Ivey is 0-5 from the field despite some quality looks at the basket that haven't rolled in his favor. Zach Edey with 10 points to lead all scorers.
9:46 p.m. ET — Robbie Beran now 2-2 from the 3-point line for Northwestern. The Wildcats are 3-9 as a team from deep.
9:41 p.m. ET, UNDER 8 — Purdue leads 26-20 over Northwestern with 5:22 left in the first half. The Boilermakers have jumped up to 50% shooting from the field after a slow start to the game. Seven different players have scored for Purdue so far in the opening period.
9:38 p.m. ET — Purdue has made all six of its shots from the free-throw line. The Boilermakers have made six of their last eight from the field, but a 3-pointer from Northwestern's Robbie Beran snaps a 7-0 scoring run.
9:35 p.m. ET — Isaiah Thompson drills his second 3-pointer of the game, an in-rhythm jumper off a pass from Zach Edey. He has six points early for Purdue.
9:31 p.m. ET, UNDER 12 — Purdue with a 15-13 lead at the 10:44 mark in the first half. Boilermakers have made their last three shots from the floor. Both teams are struggling with turnovers early: four for Purdue, five for Northwestern.
9:27 p.m. ET — Northwestern is 5-10 from the floor now after making four of its last five. Purdue also up to four turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game.
9:21 p.m. ET, UNDER 16 — Purdue has a 4-2 lead with 15:37 to play in the first half. The two teams are a combined 2-11 from the floor, with a pair of Jaden Ivey free throws being the difference for the Boilermakers.
9:19 p.m. ET — Poor passes have resulted in Northwestern having three turnovers early in the game. Purdue doing a good job having active hands and stepping in front of entry passes to the paint.
9:17 p.m. ET — Zach Edey scores the first basket for Purdue, tying the game at 2-2 after nearly three minutes of play. The Boilermakers started 1-5 from the floor. Wildcats are 1-3.
9:12 p.m. ET — Zach Edey controls the tip, giving the opening possession to Northwestern. Pete Nance matching up against Zach Edey early, the same situation that forced him into foul trouble earlier in the year inside Mackey Arena.
PREGAME — Starting five for Purdue remains unchanged for its road matchup against Northwestern.
- Sophomore forward Mason Gillis
- Sophomore center Zach Edey
- Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey
- Senior guard Eric Hunter Jr.
- Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- ERIC HUNTER JR. MAKING MOST OF OPPORTUNITIES: Senior guard Eric Hunter Jr. hasn't always had his chance to shine for Purdue basketball. But with increased time on the floor in the last two weeks, he's making big plays with his opportunities. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE MODEST FAVORITE OVER NORTHWESTERN: Purdue is still a half-game behind Illinois in the Big Ten race, so Wednesday night's game at Northwestern is critical for their title hopes. Here's the latest on the opening point spread, and a complete breakdown on what both teams have done against the spread this season. CLICK HERE
